


The Bi Flag

by biancadelfellatio



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: America A/U, Fluff, Gay Pride, Gay Pride Parade, Homophobia, LITERALLY, M/M, Teenlock, that's all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-04-30
Packaged: 2018-06-05 13:08:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6705574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/biancadelfellatio/pseuds/biancadelfellatio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John Watson is outside the Supreme Court with all the other pro-gay marriage advocates on the day gay marriage is legalized. It's a rather eventful day for him - screaming, saving cute gay boys from homophobic protesters, and whatnot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Bi Flag

**Author's Note:**

> You know that teenlock picture of John with his red underwear and army tags and Sherlock looking all sassy and phenomenal? Of course you do! I've been informed it was drawn by shootbadcabbies on tumblr, who has some absolutely fantastic artwork and a new follower (that's me, hi).
> 
> That image is what this is based off of. I never thought I'd write teenlock, but the other day I was thinking about how much I'd've loved to be in D.C. when the decision on gay marriage was made, and I thought John and Sherlock meeting outside the building would be a sweet idea.
> 
> There are some homophobic slurs, obviously, to show the opposition to the movement. I wasn't there so I have no way of actually knowing if anything like this went down, but it's my interpretation. The anti-gay movement is also related to religious aspects (because that's the only real argument against gay marriage) so if that's a sensitive topic as well be aware.
> 
> So yeah, this isn't well written or anything, it's just a sugary little one-shot. I was thinking about adding another Mycrofty chapter, but we've seen how me attempting to do chapters turns out (HAH). Perhaps I'll add another short on as a series. Either way, do enjoy.

It was 8am and John Watson already felt his voice starting to go. He waved his pink, purple, and blue flag with all his might, as he chanted along with the crowd.

"Hey, you all right, man?" Mike asked. "You're starting to sound hoarse."

"I'm great!" John yelled, his voice cracking. "It's a little loud here, but God, this is fun!"

"Hey, why don't we get out of the middle of the crowd, for a bit?" suggested Bill. "It'll be more fun to be here when they're announcing the verdict, anyway." John nodded, not attempting to scream over the din of LGBT supporters. Bill started weaving among the crowd to the outskirts, trailed closely by John and Mike.

"Boy, everyone's so excited," said Mike. "And colorful. You're not doing much to contribute to the amount of color here, John." This roused a giggle from Bill.

"Yeah, I can't believe your mom let you out of the house, looking like that. It's so tacky."

John scoffed. "Of course she didn't know I was only leaving in my underwear, dipshits. Harry just said she was taking me out to the art museum, and mom didn't even leave her room. She doesn't care. You should see Harry." John paced a bit to try and locate his sister.

"There, do you see her? She's with her girlfriend." John pointed out a pair of girls with their hair sprayed into a rainbow.

"Yeah, but she's not in her underwear, John," Mike said. "Anyway, all this excitement is making me hungry."

"You're always hungry," retorted Bill.

"That's true, but I need to eat. Wanna get a hot dog or something before they announce the decision?"

"I'm in," said Bill. "John?"

He shook his head. "I'm not hungry. Besides, I didn't bring any money anyways. I don't have anywhere to put it." John gestured to his vibrantly red underpants.

"You could've put it in your boot," said Mike. "Anyway, you know I'd pay for you, man. Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I think I'm gonna sit down here for a bit." John walked over to the concrete rim around a tree and popped a squat.

"Okay, man. See you in a bit," Mike replied. John watched as his straight allies walked up 1st Street to look for a food vendor. He appreciated them coming with him, or he'd be alone at the rally, as his sister left him to hang out with her girlfriend. It was no fun at a rally on your own.

John looked around, trying to take in his surroundings. Harry and her girlfriend had gotten a couple of red equality flags from somewhere and were part of the cheering, optimistic mass of gay pride supporters. Both John and his sister were huge advocates for equal rights, neither of them being straight, though John felt he couldn't come out of the closet to his mom after her reaction to Harriet declaring herself a lesbian. John thought it wasn't exactly the same, though, as he'd dated both guys and girls, but he didn't want to risk coming into bad terms with his mother.

John looked to the other side of the supporters, where the religious protesters stood. They held signs reading, "Every child needs a mom and a dad," and at the very front of the group stood a very upset looking white man. He appeared to be screaming at a boy about John's age, who had a pride flag tied around his wrist.

"…nothing but a no good fag, you are!" John could overhear the protester yelling. "Don't you know God sends all gays to hell? That's where you're going." The boy mumbled something in reply, and John stood up and started walking over to the couple, his temper starting to boil. As he got closer, he could see the boy was shaking.

"You weren't created to disrespect your maker and have gay sex," the man seethed. "If you'd ever been with a woman, you'd know that. Instead you go and sin-"

"Excuse me!" shouted John, jogging the rest of the way over. His dog tags jingled. "No disrespect, sir, but I've been with girls, and I still think dick in the ass is nice." The protester looked taken aback.

"That's a sin. Homo sex is against God's will. It's a shame, too, because you know firsthand that the only sex and marriage that is supposed to happen is between a man and a woman."

"No, sorry, you're wrong!" John replied. "It doesn't matter what gender the other person is, as long as they love each other. If everyone truly did, marriages wouldn't end in divorce!" John felt the boy's eyes on him, and he turned to look him over. He had a mop of curly black hair, and his gaze was obscured by a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses.

"Are you all right?" John asked him. The boy's mouth opened to reply when the protester cut him off.

"You're just a bunch of fags," he spat. "You're going to hell."

"We're going to win," frowned John, offering his hand to the shaking boy. "Come on, who needs these guys. They're just going to be butthurt after gay marriage is legalized."

The boy held his hand, and John noticed his face was a bit ashen. John led him away as the protester continued to hurl slurs at them.

"You're okay?" John asked. The boy nodded and pulled his hand away, and John realized he had to look up slightly to make eye contact with him.

"Are you in high school? I don't think we're in the same grade, but I thought I might've seen you around."

The boy shook his head. "I am, but I go to a private school."

"Well, how do you know I don't go to private school, too?" John asked, grinning a bit.

"Because, you play football," the boy said, quietly. "We don't offer football." John looked down at his (lack of) attire, wondering how this boy knew that he played.

"I'm John."

"Sherlock."

"Are you here by yourself?"

"Yes."

"So you decide to go pick a fight with the anti-gay marriage protesters? By yourself?"

Sherlock frowned. "They started it. They didn't like my shirt. They claimed it was too feminine for a guy to wear."

"That's stupid. I like your shirt. There's nothing wrong with you wearing it. It's better than my outfit," John joked.

"You're very brave, dressing like that."

"It's my lucky underwear. Besides, today is the day to dress like this, so why not?" Sherlock made an agreeable noise, and directed his attention to his feet.

"Hey, if you don't have anyone to hang out with until they announce the verdict, why don't you hang out with me and my friends? They're off getting food somewhere, but I'm sure you'll like them." Sherlock took a step backwards, shaking his head.

"That's fine. I won't intrude on your gathering. I was perfectly fine alone until those idiots started shouting at me."

"Oh come on, Sherlock," John smiled. "This isn't an event to spend by yourself! It's going to be a celebration, once we win."

"I-" Sherlock seemed hesitant, choosing his words carefully, "Thank you, but… people don't like me. I probably won't get along with your friends."

"Of course they'll like you. I like you, and we just met. Besides, you've got great fashion sense." John sent over a wink, and Sherlock tilted his head downwards, trying to hide the flush that sprung up on his cheekbones.

"They should be back soon, anyway. They don't want to miss the announcement."

"All right," agreed Sherlock, ever quietly. The pair walked back the way they'd gone to get closer to the steps of the courthouse. They wanted a good view of when the interns ran down the steps to deliver the verdict to the news reporters.

A loud cry of 'fags!' drifted over the audience to John and Sherlock. John gritted his teeth and turned towards the voice. An annoying looking woman had joined the homophobic protester with a sign with a cross, reading underneath, 'The Bible Bans Homosexuality!'

"You're disgusting!" the woman spat, the rude protester John had previously been arguing with nodding vigorously. "You're going to get AIDS and die, living like that, and we'll only be better off without you homos!"

John scoffed. "We're disgusting? You're the disgusting ones, spreading your stupid heteronormative values."

"That's the way it should be," said the man. "Your homosexuality is destroying marriage."

"Oh, you should loosen up," John said. "You know what should fix that? Some dick."

"You're repulsive," sneered the male protester.

John heard Sherlock exhale harshly, and he looked over to see him glaring at the protesters. Before he realized what he was doing, John had grabbed Sherlock's cheeks and pulled Sherlock's head down to plant a firm kiss on his lips.

As he pulled away, he hardly had time to register Sherlock's shocked expression and furious blush before he had turned back to the protesters and yelled, "Good, I hope I repulse idiots like you! Go fuck yourselves!"

"Yeah, go fuck yourselves!" came Mike's voice. "Just because you're straight doesn't mean you get to be dicks about everything. You could learn a thing or two from me." John turned around to see wicked grins on Mike and Bill's faces.

"Are you assholes harassing the happy couple?" asked Bill. He flipped the protesters off before walking between John and Sherlock. He put a hand on both their shoulders and started to guide them away from the protesters.

"So, John, you didn't tell us you were gonna bring your boyfriend to the rally," said Mike amiably, smiling over at Sherlock. "What's his name?"

The reality of what he just did hit him, and John broke out of Bill's grip, twisting to face Sherlock.

"Oh my God, Sherlock, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that, I just got caught up in that and I got upset and-"

"It's fine," Sherlock interrupted, albeit quietly. He offered John a small smile, his face still flushed.

"Sherlock, is it?" asked Mike. "Mike Stamford, here." Mike offered his hand, and Sherlock shook it.

"I'm Bill," offered Bill, grinning and jostling Sherlock, as he still had his arm around his shoulders. "Nice shirt, by the way. John has great taste in guys, apparently. If I was gay, I'd probably try to steal you away from him."

"Shut the hell up, Bill," said John, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, Bill," joked Mike. "Glad to see you were busy while we went to get dogs, John."

"Mmmm. So, Sherlock, these are my mates. You don't have to stay with us if you don't want, but you know, you're always welcome."

"Oh, do stay," smiled Mike. "Bill's not as bad as he seems. He managed to nick a couple of temporary tats off one of these guys." He offered out a rainbow temporary tattoo to Sherlock, as a bit of a peace offering. Sherlock took it, returning Mike's grin.

The group ended up purchasing a bottle of water to use to put on their tattoos, with Bill's on his forehead, John's on his cheek, and Sherlock and Mike both sticking with the more conservative space on their wrists. They then found a bit of space in the shade under a tree. Mike and Bill quickly got into a row about which place in D.C. offered the best Tex-Mex. John lazily stared at the pride supporters when the sound of Sherlock's voice jerked him out of his daydream.

"So, you've gotten recruited."

"Hmm? Oh." John looked down at his tags. "Yeah, they came to our school with a pull-up bar. Turns out all that football did me good."

"You'll be a fantastic soldier."

John looked at Sherlock curiously. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, despite your obvious physical condition, you prove incredibly loyal very quickly. You're brave in the face of defending people you ally with. You're outgoing and know how to make people feel at ease. The people on your team will be quite fortunate." Sherlock kept his eyes focused on John's boots.

"Well, if I'm being honest, a lot of the reason I'm leaning towards joining the service is to get out of my house. It wasn't my original plan for after high school, but I'll take whatever I can to get out of here."

"What was your original plan?"

"I wanted to be a doctor," smiled John wistfully. "But that's a lot of school I can't pay for. God knows my family can't afford it, and my mother wouldn't help me out under… circumstances. What about you?"

Sherlock ignored the question and instead stated, "You're not out to your family, and you're afraid once you are, they'll cast you out. Likely bad experience with another family member revealing their sexuality. So you want to get as far away as you can." John leaned forward, forcing Sherlock to look at him.

"How do you do that?"

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry." John squinted, and grinned at him. "It's interesting, how you know these things about me without me telling you. Kind of amazing."

Sherlock's eyes flitted up to meet John's. They were questioning. "Amazing?"

"Yes. Extraordinary." John offered a beaming smile. Sherlock opened his mouth to reply when they heard a collective scream of 'interns!' come from the gay supporters.

"Oh! The interns are here! Come on, then!" John grabbed Sherlock and Mike's hands and dragged them over to the mass of rainbow as they struggled to get up. Bill jogged over after them.

The excitement was palpable as the pride supporters nervously awaited the verdict. Many of them clenched their friends' hands or wore worried expressions on their faces. The quartet pressed forward with the energy, eventually finding themselves in the midst of people. A chant started going around, and John joined in again, putting his voice preservation to the side. He didn't care if he had a voice tomorrow.

"5-4! LOVE WINS!"

A cheer went up from the crowd at the verdict. Several people released balloons or threw their gay flags into the air. John flung himself at Mike and Bill, hugging them both. He then turned to Sherlock and squeezed him tightly. Sherlock seemed a bit taken aback at first, but returned John's gesture. When John pulled back, he noted how grand the smile on Sherlock's face was, and became a bit entranced by the way the boy's smile lines formed. He was shaken out of it when Harry launched herself at her brother, giving him a huge smack on the cheek. Her lipstick was almost completely gone, and John looked behind her to see her girlfriend wearing most of it in an ungraceful smear around her mouth.

"We did it, John! I'm so happy!" John nodded furiously at her, knowing his voice was far enough gone she wouldn't be able to hear him over the cheering from the crowd. Harry turned back away to eat her girlfriend's face some more, and John turned to his group.

"Hey, some people are getting out a big gay flag, and Bill wants to help flap it up and down. Want to go run under it?" Mike asked as Bill winked at John.

John shook his head, and pointed at the anti-gay marriage protesters. Mike raised his eyebrows in understanding as Bill dragged him off by the sleeve to help with the flag.

John gestured for Sherlock to follow him back to the protesters to gloat. They deserved it. To his surprise, Sherlock's hand snaked into his as they wove through the crowd.

The protesters mostly wore blank looks on their faces. A couple particularly bitter women wiped their eyes angrily. John was quick to locate the rude couple that had picked a fight with them earlier.

"Love wins!" shouted John at them, his voice hoarse from how loud he had been shouting earlier. He threw the hand entwined with Sherlock's to the sky. The protesters shot them a look. Despite their loss, the pair could still hear the woman yelling rude slurs at them. The man was staring at them with a glare. He had snapped part of his picket handle off in anger.

Sherlock leaned in close to John.

"Do you mind?" he asked, his voice soft. John's eyes asked what he meant, and Sherlock's eyes flickered down to John's mouth.

"Oh, no," said John, his voice cracking a bit. Sherlock put a hand on John's chin and tilted his head back slightly, moving down to meet John's lips delicately. John noticed that Sherlock was much gentler than John had previously been, neither of them motivated by anger this time.

John heard the protesters make a disgusted noise, and the sound of receding footsteps made John smile against Sherlock's soft mouth. Sherlock pulled away and pursed his lips shyly.

"Feels nice to win, does it not?" Sherlock asked, his lower lip more swollen than it had been moments ago.

"Yeah, it does." John looked over at the protesters, who were packing up angrily. "So, um, do you live nearby?

"Hmm? No." Sherlock watched John curiously. "Why?"

"I was thinking, I could walk you home or something. My sister's probably going to run off somewhere to have sex with her girlfriend, or something, so I'll have nothing to do until she can take me home. And, well. You're cool. You know." Sherlock smiled. It looked a bit sly, but John supposed that was just his face.

"You haven't eaten for several hours, and you didn't take your friends up on their offer to get food earlier, so I'd suppose you might like lunch at an Ethiopian bistro down the street."

John grinned. "How'd you know I like Ethiopian?"

"Shot in the dark. Good one, though."

"That sounds nice, actually, yeah. Let me let Mike and Bill know. I won't invite them along, though, don't worry about that." John left Sherlock standing with his pride flag and sorted back through the crowd to let his friends know about his lunch date.


End file.
